EAST WINDSOR, Conn. - Nicholas Teto knew his great-grandfather was a legend. All it took was a little legwork to convince the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame committee that his "Pappy" was a worthy addition.

Roland "Pappy" Lapierre Sr. was quite the racer in his career, which spanned from 1949 to 1974 at a variety of tracks, mainly in Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts. His prowess extended to include victories at tracks in several other states and Canada - on both dirt and pavement.

While putting together family photo albums and scrapbooks, starting in 1998, Teto came to see just how good "Pappy" was. He began to realize Lapierre had a Hall of Fame career. When he inquired how to nominate Lapierre for NEAR induction, Teto was told he needed documentation of the races won and the tracks at which they were won.

Those photo albums, scrapbooks and trophies came in handy. For more than a decade, Teto - the webmaster of noted racing news site YankeeRacer.com - worked on and off to collect the proper documentation. Finally, Lapierre - who died in 1991 - was chosen for the Class of 2012, which was enshrined Sunday at La Renaissance Banquet Hall in East Windsor, Conn.

"It was my father's goal to be the best he could be, but he always put family first," Lapierre Jr. said in his speech.

Teto received a big surprise when his grandfather, Roland Lapierre Jr., publicly mentioned him and his work in the acceptance speech. Roland Jr. had a pretty good racing career himself, racking up Modified wins at the old Westboro Speedway.

"I was shocked when Pepe mentioned me in the induction speech," Teto said. "It was the culmination of years of work to document his father's racing career. Thanks to R.A. Silvia, Ric Mariscal, Pronyne Motorsports Museum, and my grandparents."

GROUNDBREAKER: Had it not been for Jim Jorgenson, Chevrolets might have taken longer to break into the New England racing scene.

"Jorgy" introduced Chevy's V8 engines via the "Flying Zero" car he fielded at Riverside Park Speedway, driven by Hall of Famers Buddy Krebs and Gene Bergin. That Chevy loyalty extended all the way to Indianapolis, where Jorgenson fielded a team in what is now the IndyCar Series. One of his former drivers, Hall of Famer Denny Zimmerman, was also in attendance. The Jorgenson team, with backing from businessman Buzz Harvey, was the first team bumped out of the lineup for the 1969 Indy 500.

"He might have started his career building engines in his cellar, but today he is in the penthouse," said Manchester Journal-Inquirer racing writer Matt Buckler, who hosted Sunday's festivities.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Pretty much everyone who took to the podium mentioned the importance of family in racing.

"There's nothing like traveling around with your father, racing four or five nights a week," said Joey "Kid" Kourafas, who won the inaugural NASCAR Busch North Series championship in 1987.

Nowhere was the family element more evident that in the induction of Irene Venditti, who for years did the administrative dirty work for Seekonk Speedway, which was owned by her late husband, D. Anthony Venditti.

Venditti, 92, could not attend the ceremony, but her daughter, Adrienne, told plenty of stories of her mother's hard work.

"Irene is a pioneer in auto racing," she said. "It cannot be said lightly."

The Vendittis have operated the track, on what was once a chicken farm, for the last 66 years consecutively.

Family members accepted on behalf of the posthumous inductees. Lapierre accepted for his father, while Jerry Humiston and Moe Gherzi were honored by their respective daughters.